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Fabric questions

How do I tell if it is Sil-Polyester or Sil-Nylon? I have about 25-30 yards so I hope it is silnylon and DWR. All three have the grid/squares... two of them are super shiny and slippery (silnylon?). One of them I can breath through a little so I think it is dwr... but how much can you breath through plain ripstop?

You can blow thru plain ripstop easily. It is hard to blow thru DWR, but you can. You can't blow thru sil or coated at all.

I have a test for sil or coated. Put the fabric over a large bowl (I use a coffee can). Form a pocket with the fabric so it is hanging in mid-bowl. Secure on outside of bowl with a large rubber band. Put 2 cups of water in the fabric pouch. Wait two hours. If the material lets no water thru, it is waterproof. If it lets some thru, it is likely DWR. If all the water is in the bowl, it is untreated.

Also, sil nylon does not ravel on cut edges. DWR ravels, but not very easily. Untreated ravels easily.

It's pretty easy to breath through untreated ripstop. You can't blow through silnylon at all. DWR is somewhere in the middle.

I still think the only way to identify silnylon is to have some experience with it before hand. When I started shopping the WM $1 bin I bought some DWR that I thought was silnylon, but after comparing it to my HH tarp I knew it was not the same stuff. After actually seeing silnylon in the flesh it's very easy to identify.

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett

Two are definately waterproof.... but could they be sily polyester? I saw a post by one of the dinos about buying sil-nylon at walmart and it ended up to be polyester... if a dino could make that mistake, I could DEFINATELY make that mistake.... how do you tell?

Yippee... it seems i have 25 yards of silnylon and 8 yards of dwr. thanks for all of your help. Now... what to make? I already made python skins... thanks JRB for the plans they were perfect. I am thinking about making a blackCat but my sil is only 50 inches wide... will that work or will it be way to small? Also, is dwr good for rain gear? Or should I use sil?

You can change the size. That would be way to small for a BlackCat. You could come close to a MacCat Deluxe Clone. I use a DWR windshirt in conjunction with an umbrella, this works very well. DWR is good for hammocks, windshirts, windpants and possibly quilts (it would need to be down proof).

You can change the size. That would be way to small for a BlackCat. You could come close to a MacCat Deluxe Clone. I use a DWR windshirt in conjunction with an umbrella, this works very well. DWR is good for hammocks, windshirts, windpants and possibly quilts (it would need to be down proof).

DWR is downproof by definition, unless I'm mistaken.

"Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson

I've had down come through a few different kinds of DWR. I think calendaring helps, but AFAIK DWR isn't necessarily downproof.

But even so, the Wallyworld DWR hasn't given me a problem other than a stray quill here and there...which is what my down bag, the JRB quilts and the PeaPod have all done. So I wouldn't hesitate to use Wallyworld DWR for a down quilt.

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story